The SFZC Audio Archive

Serial: SF-08392 05/04/2024, Jisho Lisa Beth Hoffman, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Jisho Lisa Beth Hoffman explores the meaning of refuge and the experience of doing so through teacher, teaching and... The talk explores the concept of taking refuge in the "Three Jewels" of Buddhism: the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It emphasizes the importance of community and personal mentors in spiritual practice, highlighting teachings from...

Serial: SF-08670 Talk by Panel Community Village Meditation Group at City Center on 2024-05-01 This talk addresses the dynamics between the San Francisco Zen Center and the Community Village group, focusing on fostering community connections, especially among younger practitioners. The discussion highlights the...

Serial: SF-09515 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Zen Mind Beginners Mind Gui Spina on 2024-04-28 The talk discusses the transformative power of Zen practice and its teachings on mindfulness, sincerity, and gratitude. It focuses on the koan "The Old Woman Steals Zhao Zhou's Bamboo Shoots" from "The Hidden Lamp," exploring...

Serial: SF-08266 04/27/2024, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Kyoshin Wendy Lewis discusses the Zen text "Harmony of Difference and Equality". Written in the 8th century in China, the... The talk focuses on the Chinese Zen poem "Sandokai," attributed to Sekito Kisen, exploring its themes of the interplay between relative and absolute realities. The discussion emphasizes the importance of rituals and chanting...

Serial: SF-08271 04/21/2024, Wendy Johnson, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk was given at Green Gulch Farm by Wendy Johnson. This 2024 Earth Day Dharma Talk was offered on the 30th anniversary of the Green Gulch Farm Apprenticeship... The talk emphasizes the profound connection between Zen practice, ecological awareness, and the symbolic and practical significance of trees in cultural and spiritual contexts. It explores historical and contemporary practices of...

Serial: SF-09773 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-04-21 The central theme of this talk is the exploration of the Zen concept of "Nothing Special," as articulated by Shunryu Suzuki in "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." Discussing the egalitarian nature of realizing one's Buddha nature, the...

Serial: SF-08256 04/17/2024, Anshi Zachary Smith, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Anshi Zachary Smith digs into the well-known Case 17 of the Blue Cliff Record. Here, we discover that there are... The talk explores the essential teachings of Zen through the koan "case 17" from the Blue Cliff Record, focusing on the meaning behind Bodhidharma's journey to China. The discussion emphasizes the centrality of Zazen practice,...

Serial: SF-09509 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Zen Mind Beginners Mind Gui Spina on 2024-04-14 The talk emphasizes the significance of bowing within Zen practice as outlined by Shunryu Suzuki in "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." It explores the physical act of bowing as a means to unify body and mind, highlighting the practice'...

Serial: SF-08328 04/13/2024, Shosan Victoria Austin, dharma talk at City Center. Zen forms work both in clear and hidden ways. In this interactive lecture, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Shosan Victoria Austin discusses the ancient chants,... The talk explores the Shosai Myo Kichijo Dharani, detailing its nature as a dharani, a type of chant or incantation in Zen practice, transcribed through multiple languages and used as a tool for evoking spiritual teachings. The...

Serial: SF-09495 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Zen Mind Beginners Mind Gui Spina on 2024-04-08 The talk focuses on Zen practices, specifically the teachings from "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Suzuki Roshi, emphasizing the non-dual nature of existence through the koans and instructions like "No Dualism." Discussion...

Serial: SF-09516 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Zen Mind Beginners Mind Gui Spina on 2024-04-07 The talk centers on exploring concepts of non-duality and the integration of form and emptiness within Zen practice, particularly in the context of zazen meditation. It references Suzuki Roshi’s teachings to highlight how...

Serial: SF-08598 Talk by Laura Burges at City Center on 2024-04-06 The talk focuses on the early life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, more commonly known as the Buddha, emphasizing his childhood, path to enlightenment, and the fundamental aspects of his teachings, such as the Four Noble...

Serial: SF-08239 03/31/2024, Shoho Kuebast, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. In this talk, Shoho Kuebast is reflecting on how taking refuge can be taken as a daily practice. It seems to go hand in hand with the understanding of all things as... The talk delves into the concept of taking refuge in Buddhism, emphasizing the inherent awakened nature of the mind as the true refuge. It highlights the teachings of Dogen on devotion and refuge, and the transformative potential...

Serial: SF-08274 03/24/2024, Eijun Linda Cutts, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. This talk by Eijun Linda Cutts was offered and dedicated to Caroline Meister, a Tassajara resident whose accidental death touched so many with sorrow. The talk looks... The talk, dedicated to the memory of Caroline Meister, explores themes of mortality, interconnection, and the Buddhist path of precepts and zazen as a means of understanding life and death. It discusses the seamless integration...

Serial: SF-08397 Talk by Eijun Linda Ruth Cutts on 2024-03-24 This talk focuses on the themes of death, loss, and compassion, dedicated to the memory of Caroline Meister, a member of the Zen community who passed away in an accident. It explores the integration of Buddhist precepts with the...

Serial: SF-08594 Talk by Marc Lesser at City Center on 2024-03-23 The talk explores themes of grief, life, and the nature of existence through the lens of Zen philosophy, with references to the teachings of Suzuki Roshi, and literary works by Mary Oliver and William Stafford. The discussion...

Serial: SF-08234 Talk by Jiryu Rutschman Byler at Green Gulch Farm on 2024-03-17 The talk delves into the classic Zen inquiry of "Why are we here?" to explore the human longing for a deeper connection with life. This exploration centers on the teachings of Dogen Zenji from Eihei Koroku, emphasizing...

Serial: SF-09742 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha on 2024-03-17 The talk elaborates on the teachings from "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, focusing on the sections of Right Practice, Right Attitude, and Right Understanding. It emphasizes embodying a universal existence...

Serial: SF-08489 03/16/2024, Sojun Mel Weitsman - Norman Fischer - Andrea Thach - Susan Moon, book release at City Center. In this discussion, three long-time Zen practitioners discuss their experiences with Sojun Mel Weitsman, and highlight key... This talk reflects on the life and teachings of Sojin Mel Weitzman, highlighting his impact on Zen practice in America, particularly through the Berkeley Zen Center. It emphasizes the duality in Zen teachings as illustrated by...

Serial: SF-08241 03/13/2024, Koshin Steven Tierney, dharma talk at City Center. In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Koshin Steven Tierney discusses the experience of loss and grief, and how these very natural and individual human... In the talk "Walking into Loss and Grief – Walking Out Together!" given at the Beginner's Mind Temple, the discussion revolves around the personal and communal experience of loss and grief. Emphasizing the importance of...

Serial: SF-08384 03/10/2024, Kokyo Henkel, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. The great Way is not difficult for those who hold no preferences, it is like vast space with nothing lacking and nothing extra. At the moment awareness turns around and... The talk centers on exploring the Zen teaching articulated in the "Song of the Trusting Mind," attributed to the third Chinese Zen ancestor. The discussion emphasizes the paradox that the "great way is not difficult for those who...

Serial: SF-08298 In this talk, given at Beginner's Mind Temple, Teah Strozer reminds us everyone is enough — you, yourself, are perfect just as you are, even if, as Shunryu Suzuki Roshi said, we can also ‘use a little improvement.' In the talk,... The talk explores the Zen concept of groundlessness and encourages listeners to embrace the transient nature of life and interconnectedness to promote inner peace and avoid division. It emphasizes the need to transcend perceived...

Serial: SF-08603 Talk by Gengyoko Tim Wicks at City Center on 2024-03-06 The talk focuses on the metaphor of replacing a car engine to illustrate personal transformation through Buddhist practice, particularly the role of training as a bodhisattva and managing karmic consequences. It explores the...

Serial: SF-09498 Talk by Fu Schroeder Sangha Sessions Zen Mind Beginners Mind Gui Spina on 2024-03-03 The talk explores the Zen teachings presented in "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," specifically the lecture "Mind Waves," using the metaphor of waves in the ocean to describe mind and mind objects. It delves into the Buddhist concepts...